Incident Near Block Island

Car Ferry, Coast Guard Cutter Collide In Fog

NEW LONDON — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter collided Wednesday in dense fog with a ferry bound for Block Island, about 3 miles north of the island, Coast Guard officials said.

No one was injured, but passengers aboard the ferry said vehicles being carried on the ferry shifted and had minor damage.

The ferry had a 4-foot-long dent about 2 feet above the water line, while the Coast Guard vessel had minimal damage and remained fully operational.

Ferry passengers told The Associated Press that the ferry captain was sounding his horn about every five minutes as the vessel made its way through fog.

Passengers said the Coast Guard cutter appeared out of the fog about 100 feet off the port side, the left, of the ferry. Both vessels slowed before the collision, and passengers said the ferry hit the cutter in the stern, or back of the vessel.

"I knew we weren't going to be able to stop. I was like, 'We're going to hit this thing.' And then it got closer, closer, closer. They started honking their horns back and forth. And before we knew it, we made impact," Brad Barco, 28, of West Greenwich, R.I., told the AP.

The collision took place about 12:15 p.m. The Block Island Ferry, carrying 257 passengers and eight crew members, was en route from Point Judith, R.I., and arrived at Block Island about 2:30 p.m.

The Coast Guard cutter Morro Bay, a 140-foot buoy tender, was bound for its home port of New London from Newport, R.I.

Coast Guard investigators from Boston are interviewing the crews of both vessels and ferry passengers who can be identified, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Amy Thomas.

"We're very relieved that there were no serious injuries," she said. "We're committed to being as transparent as possible in our investigation and throughout the process."